Tip off: 7 PM EST
Spread: Ga -11.5
Total: 127
M/L: Ga -725, Wag +575
FURMAN
Last year, the Furman Paladins went 22-11 and 12-6 in the Southern Conference. They lost to East Tennessee State by 13 in the first round of the CIT.
They had the best effective FG% in the conference yet they finished in a four way tie for third place. They lost Amu Saaka, who accounted for 27% of the team’s shots last season and scored 16 points per game. Part of the reason for their success last season was a very soft schedule, though, evidenced by the fact that this season they have lost to a lot of smaller schools (Elon, Davidson, Presbyterian, etc), teams they beat a year ago.
The Paladins have been led by Richard Brown and Bryant Irwin, who combine for 20.2 points per game. They are the only Paladins in double figure scoring, and Irwin has been ice cold. The junior hasn’t scored in double figures since December 3rd, and has shot only 6 shots in the last two games agaisnt Western Kentucky and Presbyterian.
Despite Irwin’s poor play, the Paladins have won 3 of their last 4, and will face their toughest test since Clemson (11/25/11) tonight in Georgia. The decline was expected from last year, but the Paladins are hoping tonight’s game serves as a good tuneup before they begin SoCon play.
GEORGIA
The Bulldogs had a great run last year, before losing an exciting game in which they covered the spread, against Washington in the NCAA tournament. It was a disappointing end for the Bulldogs, who finished 21-12 and went 9-7 in SEC play. Losing Trey Thompkins certainly weakened the team, as he scored 37 in that game against Washington, nearly enabling the Bulldogs to pull the upset, as they dropped the game by only 3.
This year, the regression has come, as expected. The Bulldogs are off to a 6-5 start and are hoping to beat Furman, Winthrop, and Delaware State, before taking on the Crimson Tide to open SEC play January 7th.
And for the most part, the Bulldogs have done just that: beat the bad teams, and lose who they are “supposed to” lose to. They were blown out by both Cal and Xavier, though they can draw strength from recent wins over both USC and Mercer. Certainly, tonight will fall into the former category, a game against a bad team that they should win.
The Bulldogs have had trouble scoring. They are averaging only 61 points per game this season and almost all of their damage has come at the hands of Gerald Robinson and Kentavious Caldwell-Pope. The duo score 27.2 points per game, which is nearly half of Georgia’s offensive production. Caldwell-Pope has been an impressive freshman and is a near lock to make the All SEC freshman team. He struggled in the win against Mercer this week, but posted 21 points against USC while playing nearly the entire game. He also averages 5.4 boards a game at only 6’4″, so he is capable of playing much bigger than his size.
If you like the odds set forth in the beginning of this article, they came from Bookmaker where they offer a 5% return on lost bets. Also, check out our paid pick plans for the 2011-2012 year, as we murder the books once again.
